Sp & Sc

Front 1

What part of the brain is important in spatial memory?

Back 1

The hippocampus

Front 2

In the Morris water maze test, what happened to the mice if they had a lesioned hippocampus?

Back 2

They were unable to remember where the platform was and swam until they happened to hit it.

Front 3

What cells fire APs that encode a person's location in space?

Back 3

Hippocampal place cells

Front 4

What impairs an animal's ability to call up specific spatial maps?

Back 4

Memory loss and aging

Front 5

Explain how short term synaptic memory works.

Back 5

The properties of the synapse change in accordance to the stimuli that they receive (burst AP or single AP). They remember that they had a different type of stimulus.

Front 6

Are synapses capable of long term memory?

Back 6

Yes, this is the basis of overall learning and memory.

Front 7

Describe Hebb's rule. WHat is another name for this phenomenon?

Back 7

1. When one cell continuly excites another cell, over time the properties of one of the cells changes so that the efficieny of the excitation improves.
2. Long term potentiation

Front 8

What is synaptic plasticity? What its function?

Back 8

1. Use dependent change in the strength of a synapse.
2. Neural computation, learning and memory

Front 9

What is the time scale for short term and long term plasticity?

Back 9

1. Milliseconds to minutes (NMJ)
2. 30 minutes to being permanent

Front 10

What is an increase in synaptic strength?

Back 10

Potentiation/Facilitation

Front 11

What is an decrease in synaptic strength?

Back 11

Depression/Depotentiation

Front 12

What are the three stages of long term potentiation (LPT)?

Back 12

1. Induction
2. Expression
3. Maintenance

Front 13

Is LPT reversible and saturable?

Back 13

Yes

Front 14

What is believed to be the cellular correlate of learning and memory?

Back 14

LPT

Front 15

Where has LPT been most widely studied?

Back 15

CA3-CA1 region

Front 16

In the lab, what is the main way to produce LTP?

Back 16

Use a low frequency pre-synaptic stimulation coupled with post-synaptic depolarization.

Front 17

What is the main trigger for LTP?

Back 17

The influx of calcium through the NMDA receptor is the trigger for LTP.

Front 18

What NT is required for the opening of the post-synaptic NMDA receptors?

Back 18

Glutamate

Front 19

Is LTP input specific?

Back 19

Yes, only certain inputs will cause LTP.

Front 20

What explains the input specificity seen in LTP?

Back 20

The requirement of Ca influx throught the NMDA receptor.

Front 21

What does it mean to say that LTP induction is associative?

Back 21

Even though LTP is input specific, the changes in the synapses as a result of LTP can make it easier for other stimuli to cause LTP to occur.

Front 22

What are three pre-synaptic changes that could take place that would explain LTP expression?

Back 22

1. Increased release probability of vesicles
2. Increased number of release sites
3. Increased number of vesicles released

Front 23

What are three post-synaptic changes that could take place that would explain LTP expression?

Back 23

1. Increased glutamate receptor sensitivity
2. Increased number of functional receptors
3. Increased number of synapses

Front 24

What is a silent synapse?

Back 24

A synapse that is normally non-functional but can be activated and participate in signalling.

Front 25

Is a silent synapse pre-synaptic or post-synaptic?

Back 25

They can be both. Pre-synaptic would be mute while a post-synaptic silent synapse is deaf.

Front 26

What could activate silent synapses?

Back 26

LTP expression

Front 27

What type of receptors do silent synapses have?

Back 27

They only have NMDA receptors and no AMPA receptors.

Front 28

What are the two predominant types of ligand gated glutamate receptors?

Back 28

1. AMPA - resting membrane potential
2. NMDA - active when depolarized

Front 29

What happens to a silent synapse when LTP occurs?

Back 29

AMPA receptors are inserted into the post-synaptic membrane.

Front 30

What are the two ways post-synaptic calcium can cause LTP expression?

Back 30

1. Ca activates CaMKII and causes the insertion of AMPA receptors.
2. CaMKII phosphorylates already present AMPA receptors and makes them more active

Front 31

What is the duartion of synaptic strength referred to as?

Back 31

Maintenance Phase of LTP

Front 32

Besides the activation of silent synapses and the phosphorylation of AMPA receptors, what causes the long term expression of LTP?

Back 32

The rewiring of the hippocampus.

Front 33

What does CREB do?

Back 33

It is cyclic-AMP binding element that is a transcription factor. It activates transcription of essential LTP proteins such as CaMKII.

Front 34

How does the mossy fiber LTP work? What is the actual LTP expression method?

Back 34

1. It is a non-NMDA receptor LTP pathway. It involves the influx post-synaptic Ca through a voltage-gate.
2. Increased probability of pre-synaptic vesicle release.

Front 35

LTD is basically the opposite of what?

Back 35

LTP

Front 36

What type of stimulus induces LTD?

Back 36

A longer lower frequency stimulation.

Front 37

What type of LTD is present in the hippocampus?

Back 37

NMDA receptor mediated

Front 38

LTD in the hippocampus and cortex can be stimulated how (4)?

Back 38

1. Dumping glutamate directly onto a brain slice
2. Metabotropic glutamate receptor
3. Muscarinic acetylcholine receptor activation
4. Adernergic receptor activation

Front 39

How is LTD activated in the striatum?

Back 39

Cannabanoid receptor